We have had our share here in the US and now Germany had a tragedy in one of their hospitals. An explosion took place across the street and was being attended to and then shots went off across the street at the hospital. The woman doing the shooting was killed by the police. A domestic issue is thought to be at the root of violence. The BBC has a video and you can click on the image below to visit the site. BD

This is what the building across the street looked like that was said to be potentially connected to the shooting spree. BD

The woman, who was not identified, shot a woman and a child in a flat in the south-western town of Lorrach in Baden-Wuerttemberg.

According to the local Badische Zeitung newspaper, there was a "loud explosion" around 6.00pm local time in a building opposite the hospital. Online photographs showed smoke pouring from the building as firemen raced to the scene.

But the fire brigade personnel were initially unable to tackle the blaze as they heard shots and took cover. Media reports said two bodies were later found in the burned-out apartment and police were on Sunday investigating whether the hospital shooter was responsible.

The Catholic hospital has a center for children, a specialist gynecological unit and an intensive care station for premature babies as well as a psychiatric unit for troubled youngsters.

Dark Arts of Mathemical Deception

Professor Charlie Siefe of NYU, a mathematician debunks clinical trials, and few other items to where data is spun and fools you, every day example, hear about the perfect butt algorithm and more. These are probably some things you have never thought about but again after listening to what he has to say, it’s time to think about being skeptical. Here’s a radio show that also talks about the same topics.

This video digs in a bit further with how fictitious business models are used by banks and companies do this too. The models are so complex that CEOs don’t even understand them. “Quants, The Alchemists of Wall Street will take you through how “math models” work at banks and financial institutions in a way that even the layman can understand. More videos like over at theAlgo Duping/Killer Algorithm Page. Bank of America will also tell you“IT’ is a business” how they make money.

Weapons of Math Destruction

This is a lecture where Kathy O’Neill, a former Quant who worked for a Hedge Fund (Weapons of Math Destruction) on Wall Street will tell you what is done with your retirement money and more. The banks and companies use technology to take advantage because they can. “Of course we are going to take advantage because our tools are our brains…if they could figure out a way to take advantage of pension funds they would, a good interview with explaining smart money and dumb money.

Algorithms Shape The World

This is a very good presentation done a TED Conference and really was the one that got everyone started thinking about algorithms and today it’s talked about a lot. As he says “if you’re an algorithm, life is looking pretty good, but can’t say the same for humans”. What is a black box? Nobody has any control over the flash crash. We have moved forward a bit but still we are writing the unreadable and lost the sense of some of what is happening. Nice plug for Nanex here with research.